The Quality-of-Life-Recorder

The concept

of the QL-Recorder envisions a device that enables researchers or physicians to very easily collect data using self-administered patient questionnaires.

It's ease of use is a key point in its design, and it returns results immediately. Thus, it records subjective quality of life data, or patient satisfaction with care data, just as easily as a simple tape-recorder would record music.

Hindrances to overcome

Traditionally, collecting data from patients included the application of paper questionnaires, from which data had to be transferred into a computer system manually or using optical scanners. Only thereafter, data could actually be checked and processed.

New possibilities

The Quality-of-Life-Recorder, however, immediately processes the patient's answers: They can be checked for completeness, results can be calculated and printed (including graphical display of data over time), or archived, and data are stored in a format which is designed to be standardised, though supporting all kinds of questionnaires. Data can be transferred immediately to all kinds of computer platforms and to all kinds of analysis or database software like SAS, SPSS, Spida, xPlore, Excel, Access, SQL-databases, practice management software (GDT)... This direct processing of the patient's input allows the system to ensure that no questions are accidentally skipped, and it avoids the well known difficulties in the interpretation of a patient's marks on paper.

New perspectives

The QL-Recorder is very easy to use. It is still open to support many kinds of questionnaires - in fact, it contains an editor so you can design your own electronic questionnaires with it. Thus it should be able to achieve a wide distribution among researchers, hospital users and private practitioners.

While the tools is not limited to the medical field, I would especially like it to become a standard in medical research and medical practice.

This is why I'm providing this tool as shareware, and offer free licenses to people who cannot afford to pay for it.

Please contribute to making the vision of routine measurement of quality of life and patient satisfaction with care come true, by trying out the software, putting it to good use, and by recommending it to your colleagues.